Headway
by Verboten Byacolate
Summary: Stein/Marie. Franken Stein doesn't indulge in her bribes and bargains. He indulges in her pudding.
1. Grade School

**42_souls**, table 3, theme #15) "if I."

* * *

"If you'll be my friend, I'll be your guinea pig."

He never spoke, and it rarely seemed as though he listened to the teacher speak, but he was cute. He hid behind long, shaggy bangs that Marie wanted so badly to clip back. Stein peered through them at her, curiosity soon reverting back to disinterest.

"No thank you. I already have a toad."

Marie watched him as he looked back down. The playground was noisy with children their age shrieking like monkeys off of jungle gyms and overturning themselves on slides. It was appealing, but she'd rather be here. Marie squatted in front of her classmate and pointed at the toad in his hands. "Can I touch it?"

He nodded slowly, and she poked the overgrown frog in the head. It blinked at her. "Aren't girls supposed to be afraid of slimy things?"

"He isn't slimy. Are you really going to cut him open?"

Franken Stein nodded. "When I get home."

"Oh. Okay."

He glanced at her through his bangs again. "They don't have knives here."

"We're not supposed to play with sharp things. That's why." Marie trailed her finger along the toad's bumpy back.

"Don't you have friends to play with?" he asked her shortly. "Marie Mjolnir."

"Don't you?"

He sat in silence as she stood and brushed off her knees and yellow dress. Marie held out her hand to Stein. "Would you come play with us?"

"No."

The word was quick and final. Marie knew that tone. It was one her parents used. She sighed and turned away.

Tomorrow, she would try again.

* * *

"If you'll be on our team, I'll be your best friend forever."

Stein ignored her, wishing with all of his might that he could be excluded from this mandatory game of kickball. He didn't want to play. He didn't know the rules, and quite frankly, he didn't care. The grade schoolers had already divided themselves up in their minds. They would surely be picked be the team leader, who would be someone popular. Someone who was their best friend. Best friend after best friend would be picked, and he'd be the last one chosen for a team, and it would just be an awkward mess that could have been avoided if that irritating teacher hadn't forced him into this.

Kickball wasn't the "team building activity" teachers made it out to be. It was a popularity contest. Only a simpleton couldn't see it.

But whatever. It didn't matter.

A girl and a boy were chosen for team captains; neither did he know, but he was familiar at least with the girl's name. Azusa. Marie never stopped talking, and for some reason she tended to seek him out, so he'd heard more than a mouthful about little miss Yumi, practical, poised, and perfect. The Japanese girl stood erect in front of the group and scanned them with hawk eyes. He presumed she was mentally categorizing each individual child by their capabilities so that they could form a perfect team that, teamwork aside, could out do the other group by a long shot. The male team leader was nodding and making faces at his friends, not putting any thought to team placement whatsoever.

From watching Azusa's cold, calculating speculation, Stein didn't expect her to do what the boy leader of the opposing team was doing; choosing her best friend. But surprisingly, that was exactly what she did. Marie was the first one at her side. While the stud captain of Team B was having difficulty deciding whether to pick nose picker-flicker friend 1 or raspberry-blowing friend 2, Marie cupped her hands around Azusa's ear and whispered excitedly. Azusa listened with a blank face and turned to her lively friend, frowning and shaking her head. Marie nodded adamantly and pouted. Azusa planted her heels firmly, shaking her head a definite 'no.' Marie punched her in the shoulder.

Azusa staggered to the side a bit then, cradling the shoulder, nodded grudgingly.

Captain B chose friend 3, the crack scratcher. Azusa's turn. From the way she was eyeing the left side of the line, Stein presumed she would be going for Neigus, who had powerful legs.

"Franken Stein."

Stein wasn't humble enough to wonder if he'd heard wrong. He knew Azusa had said his name. He just didn't know what to do with this information. Marie was nodding and grinning, beckoning him over, and putting one foot in front of the other, he did. Marie beamed at him when he'd reached them.

"Azusa said you weren't aesthetically capable, but I think you'd make a good pitcher, since you like working with your hands so much."

"Athletically, Marie, not aesthetically," Azusa said, and being her turn once more she indeed called to Neigus.

Stein considered informing Marie that pitching was more the work of shoulder and elbow muscles than hands, as opposed to dissection which was definitely more hand-oriented (and lower back, whether or not there was a chair factor) but... why waste his breath? They both dealt with precision, he supposed.

* * *

"If you hold my hand, I'll give you my pudding for a month."

Her voice was strained and wobbly, and Stein didn't blame her. Music class was mandatory, and sure they'd learned the notes in the songs and even that stupid little dance at the end, but nothing could have prepared them for a _concert _in front of their _parents_. Just about every student present was jittery and nervous, wishing each other luck and wiping sweaty hands on their dress pants and skirts. Stein had nothing to be embarrassed about, since his parents weren't present, but standing before so many expectant pairs of eyes made him nauseous. Marie was looking determinedly at her feet and biting her bottom lip. Someone (probably her mother) had tied glittering silver ribbon through her hair.

Stein watched the teacher give stage directions to the children at the front of the group and leaned over closer to Marie's ear.

"What flavor?"

Marie turned to him, a bit surprised. He had never bargained with her before, no matter how many times the situation arose, and he'd never answered her so quickly.

"Chocolate."

"Make it vanilla."

The girl smiled to herself and slipped her small hand into his. They were moving forward.

"Okay."

* * *


	2. Shibusen

**42_souls**, table 3, theme #20) "dreams may not come true." I can honestly tell you that, aside from lustful Stein, Shinigami-sama is the hardest character for me to write... and I feel like he's the character I most relate to. How sad is that?  
Disclaimer; Ohkubo owns Soul Eater. Maybe I should kidnap him...

* * *

"Hiya, hello, Marie-chan!"

"Shinigami-sama," she replied, inclining her head respectfully."You called me?"

"Marie-chan, I called you to congratulate you!" Shinigami-sama brandished a New Years noise maker and popped it above her head. Marie was showered with confetti. "A little birdy told me," he continued jovially, bouncing, "that you are flexible enough to be wielded by any meister! Marie-chan is wonderful! Good job! Good job!"

Marie blushed and rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "Thank you, Shinigami-sama."

"So, so!" He leaned in as if to ask her for her deepest, darkest secret. "Does Marie-chan have someone special in mind, or is she an opportunist, hmm?"

"I want to be Stein's weapon," she answered immediately. It had been the only thing on her mind for the past year or so. Tomorrow would be the ceremony in which meisters and weapons came together to meet and greet, to scope each other out, to find someone compatible. Someone to, essentially, be their other half. To complete them. Marie knew exactly who she wanted to be associated with. In her heart, the words she longed to hear were, _"There's Franken Stein, the greatest meister in history. And that's his partner, Marie Mjolnir. They work so well together." _

Marie's face turned a violent red once more and she covered her cheeks. _O-or something like that..._

"Hmmm? Stein-kun? He has potential, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yes!" Marie's eyes sparkled with a proud determination. "He'll be the best technician in the world someday! He may not show it, but his soul is compatible with so many others, and... and I'd like to be his weapon."

"Would you, now? Would you really?" Shinigami-sama asked teasingly.

Marie nodded.

Tomorrow was the beginning of her destiny.

* * *

"No." Marie shoved the covers off and slid off the side of her bed. On wobbly, unsteady legs she started toward the door. "I'm going. I have to go."

"I know this day is important to you, dear, but you're just too sick!" Mrs. Mjolnir grabbed her daughter by the hand and gently pulled her. "Come, get back into bed."

"No! You don't understand!" Marie coughed, and the world spun. "I need to go. I have to go to school."

"Lay down, Marie. Don't make me call your father in here."

"I want to be his weapon!" she said. It baffled her that her mother could push her into bed so easily when _she _was the trained warrior in the room. "If I don't go, he'll be taken!"

"Marie Mjolnir, I did not raise you to be such a selfish child," her mother clucked, forcefully tucking the blankets around Marie. "You've got a temperature of one hundred and two, and not even Shinigami-sama could convince me to allow you to go to school today. Now, stay put while I get you a cold towel."

Mrs. Mjolnir walked briskly from the room, and the second she was out, Marie rolled out of the soft confines of her bed and made for the door. It was hard to focus, and the fever made her dizzy, but she couldn't stop. She wouldn't let her own body keep her from what she desired most. This was the day she had dreamed about for a year, and there was no way...

"Marie, are you giving your mother trouble."

The blond man leaned against the wall outside her bedroom door. Marie attempted to glare. "Don't stop me, daddy."

"You know your limits, I suppose," he answered unmovingly. Marie leaned for a moment against her door frame and then pushed off, trudging down the hall with the wall for support.

She would get to school. Stein wouldn't be taken. She would propose a partnership. She would wait anxiously for his answer. They would be great. She would help Stein make history. She would become Shinigami's weapon. She would make him proud.

She was falling.

"Marie!"

* * *

Spirit.

Spirit-senpai was his weapon.

Their interaction was minimal but Stein was different around him. Comfortable, almost. It was like they had the mutual agreement to allow their souls to interact enough to form a bond, but not so close as to become attached. Marie was more jealous than words could relay. When she looked at them training together, a little bit of her heart twinged. When she saw the scars on odd parts of Spirit's body, obviously made by Stein's beloved scalpel, envy burned her.

But there was a little part of her that reminded her to look at Franken Stein closely when he held the cross. He was concentrating. He was trying. He was on his way to becoming the best of the best, and even more than her envy, this pulled at her heartstrings. Marie was _happy _for Stein. Months would go by. Then years. They would graduate and go their separate ways. When Marie watched Stein and Spirit, a bit of relief touched her.

Stein was with someone that could help him achieve greatness, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Spirit Albarn pushed away from the water fountain and turned to walk to his next class, only to find a blond underclassman in his way. Her face was set with determination. She was cute, but not his type. Still, she was worth a shot. Spirit let his moth relax into a flirtatious lopsided grin.

"Hey there. Need something, gorgeous?"

"My name is Marie. I just needed to tell you that I'm leaving it to you, Senpai. Don't let him down."


	3. Oceania

**42_souls** table 3 theme #37) "A Little Less Bark, A Little More Bite."

* * *

Oceania. She was being put in charge of the Oceania mission. To understand the whole "far away from Nevada, and therefore far away from Stein and his progress" issue, Azusa planted a globe in front of a seated Marie and spun it before planting her finger in the center of the Oceania region.

"Around... Australia?"

"And thereabouts," Azusa nodded, pushing up her glasses. "Heat. Sun. It's incredibly similar to Nevada."

Marie clenched her folded hands together."... I see."

Azusa almost sighed. She was never one for comforting others, and she certainly wasn't about to start now.

"You'll be back eventually, Marie. Consider it an honor that Shinigami-sama is sending you overseas on such an important duty. It's because you are incredibly skilled at what you do."

Yumi left Marie's room to put away the globe, leaving the blond staring out her window with long-gone eyes.

* * *

"I'm being sent to the other side of the world. I wonder if he'll see me off..."

* * *

Marie left for New Zealand with only Azusa to watch her depart. When she stepped off the plane alone, Marie was greeted by Shinigami-sama's contact, whose name she found mind-numbing to remember. Not because it was difficult... more likely because she didn't quite care.

The contact, a man of large build with a tawny beard and a welcoming smile, had a large cardboard sign held high above his head with huge letters spelling _**MARIE MYOLNIR**_ in thick black ink. Marie didn't wince; people spelling her surname incorrectly happened commonly in the states, so why wouldn't they do so across the entire expanse of the Earth? She was used to it. She wouldn't even correct him this time around.

Marie swam through the sea of people and made it to her new companion, who wore a high white collar and khaki shorts in a very comfortable (had she mentioned large?) fashion. He looked down at her seriously.

"Are you Marie?"

She nodded and smiled politely. "Marie Mjolnir. That's me."

His huge hand appeared from inside the pockets of his khakis and he held it out to her. "I'll be your partner. Has Shinigami-sama told you about me? My name, at least?" He chuckled at his little joke. Marie continued to smile and took his hand to shake it.

"I'm afraid not," she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the middle of the swamp of people with places to go. She wanted to get out of this place, and she certainly didn't want to take the time to explain that she had lied, because Shinigami-sama had spoken volumes (and in different tunes) about the bear of a man before her, and she just hadn't paid attention. Her partner's grip never slipped, but she thought she saw a knowing grin on his face.

"Joe. Buttataki Joe."

"Pleasure to meet you, Joe."

"Same here, Marie."

* * *

Oceania was interesting. Joe was nice. He had a weird thing for coffee, though. The stuff at hotels just wouldn't do. He had to go to _this _cafe on _this_ side of town because _this _guy made it best. He was weird, but... appealing. Sincere. And he always seemed to know when she was not. When she had confronted him about it, he laughed in a good-natured way. "I've just always been able to tell when a person is hiding something behind their words."

"So you're not psychic?"

"No, Marie. I'm not psychic."

As the months in Oceania dragged on, the two spent their time chatting up foreigners, battling kishin per Shinigami-sama's orders, and swapping tales from their own personal experiences at Shibusen.

Buttataki "Mole Hunter" Joe had been devoid of friends in his first two years because of his size and his reputation as a lie-catcher, or as fellow students so affectionately put it, a snitch. Marie suspected that when people finally realized that he had a truly kind and honest nature beyond Shinigami-sama's use for him, he was flooded with good mates for the next years to come. (She also supposed that it was in those first two years that he had developed his coffee OCD).

"Crushing Weapon" Marie Mjolnir had only been called to Shinigami-sama's "office" on the terms of punishment once. She had received three days of suspension for destroying half the science wing at some ill-chosen but factual discouragements on the Stein front. She had cried.

Joe had never intended to become Shinigami-sama's lie detector.

Marie had never in her wildest nightmares dreamed that she'd be deported so far away from the home she'd known all her life.

He wanted to find the world's greatest coffee shop.

She wanted to retire and get married.

Joe lay in one of the hotel's beds and gazed seriously at Marie on the other.

"You're fresh out of graduation and you already want to retire?"

Marie nodded and pulled the blankets closer around her neck.

"My temper gets the best of me at times, but I don't particularly enjoy fighting." She yawned. "Being in a meister-weapon relationship entails two things; a deep connection, and the power to destroy. Soul resonance is the most wonderful feeling in the world to me, because it's only meister and weapon in the raw." Marie closed her eyes. "I want to feel that same connection without destruction. I _want _to settle down. I _want_ to be a housewife. I _want _to stay home and do chores, bake things, and clean up after children. My own children."

Joe had nothing to say, and so Marie fell into a sound sleep.

* * *

She lay on her back in the center of a wheat field in New Zealand, panting heavily from prior exertion. Luckily, she and Joe had been able to lure the kishin away from the town and chased him out into this empty land, but it had burned more of her energy to get it to a secluded location, and because she wasn't in top condition at the true beginning of the fight, it had lasted much longer. But smashing kishin into oblivion was what she did, so she fulfilled her duty. And now she rested.

"Marie? Marie!? Where did you land?"

Shutting her eyes, Marie rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself on to her elbows. Joe had thrown her, as she had asked, directly at the kishin from far behind it. At a distance. Actually... it was a pretty great distance. His huge arms were good for something, after all. Marie smiled.

"Ah, there you are...!" The tall stalks of wheat reached almost to the top of Joe's khaki shorts as he stopped above her, not having broken a sweat at all. Joe looked down at her in relief. "Why didn't you answer me?"

Marie gazed back up, finding it impossible to stop the blooming smile on her lips. "I liked hearing you call my name."

Joe didn't quite know how to respond, caught in a tight spot it seemed, so Marie put her hand in the air. She reached for the cloudless blue sky above, brushing against swaying grains of wheat.

"Help me up?"

Joe jumped, "Ah, of course!" and hoisted her to her feet in one great movement.

* * *

"Hiya, Marie-chan," came the cheery voice of her superior. "Mission accomplished?" Marie smiled back through the bathroom mirror.

"Yes, sir. We're awaiting our next assignment."

"Oh, I have no thing for you yet, my dear Marie," Shinigami-sama crooned, scratching his head. "So let's small talk!" He leaned forward. "Have you eaten all of your souls yet, Marie-chan?"

"Ninety-three and one witch," Marie replied proudly. Shinigami-sama clapped.

"OH HO HO! You're very close, Marie-chan! I'll have another weapon soon! They seem to have been flooding in lately!"

"Really?"

"Oh yes! Justin-kun, your old classmate, reached one hundred souls in record time all by himself just months ago! And your old friend Yumi-chan has recently completed her assignments. Spirit-kun is my oldest addition, but he's with me now. Say hello, Spirit-kun!"

From behind Shinigami-sama, sure enough, leaning against a cross was Spirit Albarn. He gave a wave. Marie's heart leapt into her throat. _S-so fast_... _As expected, with Stein, Spirit-senpai has flown past me at record speed_.

"Kami-chan, Spirit-kun's old meister, will be returning from her own assignment shortly in time for their wedding. It's very romantic." If he had eyebrows, Shinigami-sama would have wiggled them.

Marie wasn't sure she'd heard him right. "Did you say... Senpai's meister?"

"Yup yup, I did!"

"What... what about Stein?"

Spirit turned pale and hugged himself tightly. "He... He cut me! He cut me so many times... I don't even know if things are in the right place anymore..."

"Stein lives outside of Death City now," Shinigami-sama explained. "Spirit became Kami-chan's partner to obtain his last souls."

And that was... that. Just that. Shinigami-sama released a bit more gossip with Marie before waving cheerfully. "When the time comes, I'll be sure to relocate you two. Bye bye!"

* * *

Spirit wasn't with Stein.

Spirit had a new meister.

Spirit was a death scythe.

Spirit left Stein.

Stein was alone.

And Marie was on the other side of the planet.

* * *

Loving Joe was easy. He was always kind, always thoughtful, and always seemed to want her. He confessed over (no surprise) a cup of coffee. He was blushing through his tan, and his expression made Marie's heart move in a new way. He grew on her more and more with each passing day. Moreover, she had decided that it was long past time to move on. Stein was no longer a part in her life. He was a factor of memory; a cherished one, certainly, but a memory none the less. Joe was here, now, and very much in love with her. It was something she could never ask of Stein.

Joe was her first kiss, her first waltz, and the first to mold her beneath his hands with eyes and lips of passion. He humbly accepted a gift that could never be returned to her. Oceania was her first taste of adult love.

Everything was perfect, lovely, rose-colored. Joe was the perfect lover. Marie could already see white picket fences and a house big enough for two (maybe three...) just beyond her reach.

She was happy.

But Shinigami-sama had other plans.

* * *

Two years passed in Oceania. Marie became a death scythe, but was instructed to stay in New Zealand to continue fighting evil souls.

* * *

Five years passed in Oceania. On Marie's twentythird birthday, Joe baked her a coffee cake and Shinigami-sama popped in to tell them to pack their bags for Australia.

* * *

Nine years had gone by in Oceania. Still no wedding ring. Joe was as attentive as ever, but a bit... distant. She had eaten four-hundred and thirty five souls. They went straight to her hips.

* * *

On the thirteenth year in Oceania, Joe dumped her. In Polynesia. Tossed her to the curb claiming that he "didn't like being distrustful" of her. Really, it was more than Marie could stand. Her heart ached, and their time spent together was awkward and painful. Luckily, Shinigami-sama intervened.

"Hiya hello, Marie-chan! You look as lovely as ever! Ah, don't look so sad. It's time for you to come home."

* * *


End file.
